losophy? I would probably describe my sound as being rooted in old-school blues, rock, and R&B – but I was also heavily influenced by a lot of the early ‘90’s Seattle bands (Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, etc.) and later on by our wonderful cavalcade of local musicians after coming to Muscle Shoals. As far as my philosophy goes, I can sum it up rather simply – give 100% every time you hit the stage or step into the studio. I respect anyone who is dedicated enough to do this, regardless of whether or not their musical style suits my personal tastes.
What would you say has been the most interesting period in your life thus far? The most interesting period in my life was probably the first year or so of getting accus- tomed to the Shoals. Never would I have guessed that there would be so much talent and diversity in what is not an extremely large city. It certainly set the tone for what I could expect and what was to be expected of me in order to be taken seriously here, and continues to do so to this day.
What’s the best jam you’ve ever partici- pated in? There have been many, many fun jams…but one of the most memorable was a ragtag ver- sion of Little Feat’s “Dixie Chicken” which was performed at a local house party several years ago with my father singing, Jason Isbell and myself on guitars, Shonna Tucker on bass, Mike Dillon (The Second Coming) on drums, Reese Wynans (SRV) on keys, and Ms. Bonnie Bramlett herself recreating the in- credible backing vocal she performed on the original recording. I remember Jack Pearson, who is one of the best guitarists I’ve ever heard, being there that night and coming up to the very front of the stage to focus in on what we were doing, which was quite flatter- ing.
What are some of the most memorable gigs you've had, so far? Some of the best gigs were during my run as the lead guitarist in Leon Russell’s touring band, which took place over the course of most of the 2007 year. The finest of all would have to be playing on the site of the original Woodstock festival in Bethel, NY with Levon Helm and his band. I couldn’t believe my gui- tar was echoing over the same fields as Jimi Hendrix. Needless to say, I had to play the Star-Spangled Banner in its entirety during our sound check. The monitor guy rolled his eyes at me when I did, which I’m guessing is because every guitarist who plays the place probably does the exact same thing, but I did- n’t care. I finished it out just the same.
Which meetings have been the most important experiences for you? What is the best advice ever given you? All of my meetings with new musical friends and contacts have been equally important in my opinion, since you never know what said meetings will lead to in future scenarios. I think the more important thing to focus on is building as extensive of a network as possible, and making time to maintain positive rela- tionships with your business associates, bandmates, and fans. One of the best pieces of advice ever given to me from a perform- ance standpoint is to try and smile and have a visibly good time onstage – this almost al- ways becomes contagious to the audience as well.
From a musical point of view, what are the differences between Muscle Shoals and other local scenes? The main thing that I think separates us from the rest is our level of support and cama- raderie towards each other, old and new mu- sicians alike. I stand by my stance that we have an enormous amount of unbridled talent here in the Shoals, but there are plenty of other talented acts all spread out over this
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